JP2006321482A - Conical support arm joint for vehicle mirror - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vehicle mirror assembly reducing vibration and rocking of a mirror head. <P>SOLUTION: A conical rotation joint is provided for the vehicle mirror assembly or the like having a fixed mount and a movable support arm. A base part is retained by any one of the fixed mount and the movable arm and a conical storage part is retained by the base part. A conical plug body is stored in the conical storage part. The conical plug is retained by the other of the fixed mount and the support arm. The conical storage part has a conical bearing surface joined to a conical bearing surface of the conical plug. An urging element urges the conical bearing surface so as to be closely adhered and reduces play and abrasion. First and second return-stops correspond to a usage position of the support arm and the folding position and the urging mechanism has a first curve position for retaining the support arm at a predetermined position by being engaged with the selected return-stop. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to vehicle mirror assemblies, and more particularly to an improved rotary joint that allows rotation of the mirror support arm of the assembly and the vehicle with less wear.

  Various mechanisms are known for attaching an external mirror to a vehicle. In large commercial vehicles such as trucks and buses, the mirror may be fixed in a mirror housing on a support arm that places the mirror away from the vehicle to provide a clear view in various areas around the vehicle. Many. Various attachment schemes have been used depending on the size and design of the mirror and the area around the vehicle. For example, US Pat. No. 6,302,549 discloses a biaxial adjustable mirror mounting assembly. U.S. Pat. No. 6,793,357 discloses another vehicle mirror having a mirror housing supported in such a way that the housing can be biaxially adjusted relative to the mirror support arm without undesirable rotation. is doing.

US Pat. No. 6,302,549 US Pat. No. 6,793,357

  Normally, spherical couplings are used in joints that are subject to such wear. If the wear is too great, the mirror surface may vibrate and sway, and some of the field of view may be lost or blurred.

  An improved rotary joint is provided by the present invention for a vehicle mirror assembly of the type having at least one mirror head held by a support arm and a vehicle mount for mounting to a vehicle. The support arm is pivotally attached to a vehicle mount having a use position and a folded position. The rotary joint is connected between the vehicle mount and the support arm and pivots the support arm between the use position and the folded position. Advantageously, the rotary joint includes a conical receptacle, in which the conical plug is received. The connector interconnects the conical plug and the conical housing with the vehicle mount. The biasing element biases the conical bearing and the conical bearing surfaces of the plug into close contact with each other, greatly reducing play between the conical bearing surfaces and subsequent wear, thereby providing more reliability. Provide a high revolute joint. Therefore, the wear of the conical bearing surface is reduced and the vibration and vibration of the mirror is reduced.

  In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the biasing mechanism is held by a support arm and is biased against a socket base in which a cone receiving part is formed. The urging mechanism has a neutral position, a first curved position, and a second curved position. The socket base has at least a first detent for maintaining the support arm in the use position, a second detent for maintaining the support arm in the folded position, and for an additional position. May have additional detents. The biasing mechanism meshes with the first detent when the support arm is in the use position, and meshes with the second detent when the support arm is in the folded position. The urging mechanism is deformed to bend to the first bending position when meshing with the first or second detent. The biasing mechanism is deformed to the second curved position when the support arm is moved between the first and second detents of the socket body. In another advantageous aspect, the biasing mechanism comprises an elongated leaf spring having one or more cams formed intermediate the first and second ends. A mounting element held on the support arm secures the elongate spring in the support arm so that the cam and spring are deformed from a neutral, unstressed spring position.

  The connector preferably includes a fastener that extends through the conical plug body and the conical receptacle and compresses the surfaces together while at one end is attached to the support arm and the second end. The part is attached to the vehicle mount. Advantageously, the biasing element comprises a spring element held around the fastener at one of the first and second ends. The spring element may comprise a spring washer, such as a Belleville washer, held around the fastener.

  In another aspect of the invention, an improved and simplified rotary joint for a mirror assembly having a vehicle mount and a pivot support arm is held on the support arm and a first rotating portion held on the vehicle mount. And a second rotating part. The connector interconnects the first and second rotating parts together in a joint relationship so that the support arm pivots to the use position and the folded position. The first and second detents are held by one of the vehicle mount and the support arm corresponding to the use position and the folding position of the support arm, respectively. The elongate spring element is disposed between the vehicle mount and the support arm and has a neutral position, a first curved position, and a second curved position. The spring element includes a cam formed near the middle of the spring element and meshing with a selected detent. The spring element is deformed to the first curved position when the cam engages the selected detent. The spring element is deformed to the second curved position when the support arm is moved between the first and second detents.

  Hereinafter, a structure for carrying out the present invention will be described together with other features. The invention will be more readily understood by reading the following specification and with reference to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, and which illustrate the invention.

  Next, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings.

  As best seen in FIG. 1, the vehicle mount 10 is attached to the vehicle 12 using conventional fasteners such as bolts 14. The vehicle mount 10 includes a base 16 that holds a mirror support arm 18 so as to be able to turn. The support arm 18 is attached to the vehicle mount base 16 using a rotating joint, designated A as a whole, in the form of an advantageous conical detent joint. By means of the conical joint A, the support arm, as will be explained below, allows the mirror head 19 to be folded towards the vehicle and the mirror head to extend away from the vehicle, further allowing the driver to obtain a good view. It is possible to turn between the use positions that can be adjusted. The vehicle mount base 16 includes a first rotating portion that is in the form of a socket base 20 having a conical housing portion 22 having a conical surface 22a formed therein. The socket base 20 may be secured to the mount base 16 by any suitable means such as one-piece construction, welding, or other means suitable for integrating the socket base 20 and the mount base 16.

  As best seen in FIGS. 4 and 5, the vehicle support arm 18 includes a second rotating portion in the form of a conical plug 24 formed integrally with the support arm 18 in any suitable manner. The conical plug 24 is housed in the conical housing 22 and provides a conical rotary joint that reduces wear. The conical plug includes a conical bearing surface 24 a that fits precisely in the conical bearing surface 22 a of the conical housing 22. When the rotary connector part is made of metal, the conical bush 26 may be fitted between the conical housing part and the plug. The bushing 26 may be any suitable bushing such as a Delrin bushing. When the conical connector portion is formed of an abrasion resistant polymer, a bush may not be necessary. Therefore, the conical bearing surface 22a of the conical housing portion may be either a bush surface or an actual conical housing surface. The conical plug 24, the conical bushing 26, and the conical housing 22 are precisely made so as to fit together to form a conical rotary joint. For this reason, the connector bolt 32 extends through the support arm, the conical housing portion 22 and the conical plug 24 and is screwed into the portion 34 of the mount base 16. Advantageously, the spring 36 provides a biasing element and uses an intermediate washer 38 to fit between the bolt head 32 a and the plane 18 a of the support arm 18. The spring may be a Belleville washer and provides a biasing force that closely contacts the conical bearing surface 24a of the conical plug 24 and either the bushing or conical housing bearing surface 22a with little or no play or wear. . Due to the conical distribution of the forces at the conical bearing surface, play is prevented between the parts and the wear caused at the rotary connector part is very low. Even when the bearing surfaces wear, there is always a normal force that presses the surfaces closely together, so play does not increase between the surfaces. Thus, wear is not a problem in the swivel joint provided by the present invention. Thereby, the vibration and shaking of the mirror head are reduced, and a good field of view is obtained.

  In another advantageous aspect of the invention, simple and reliable operation including a biasing mechanism 40, one or more detents 46, 48, etc. to maintain the support arm and mirror head in a rotational position. A mechanism is disclosed. The biasing mechanism is advantageously provided in the form of an elongated leaf spring 40 to hold the support arm in the folded or used position. The leaf spring 40 is held by a spring holder 42 formed at the connector end of the support arm 18. As best seen in FIG. 3, the spring holder includes a first mounting element 42a and a second mounting element 42b that hold the remote ends of the leaf springs. For this reason, the leaf spring 40 includes a first bent end 40a and a second straight end 40b held by the mount bar. In the illustrated embodiment, the leaf spring 40 includes a single cam 44 that can be received in one of two detents 46 and 48 formed in the socket base 22. When installed, the leaf spring 40 typically has a neutral position 50 extending inward. However, when the spring cam 44 is received in one of the socket body detents, the spring is in the first curved position 52. Further, when the leaf spring is removed from the detent, the second compressed position 54 is compressed. When the cam 44 is received in the first detent 46, the support arm 18 is locked in the use position. In this position, the mirror head 19 extends from the vehicle for further adjustment of the support arm and field of view. When the vehicle driver manually rotates the support arm sufficiently or when the support arm collides accidentally, the mirror moves to the folding position. This occurs by applying sufficient force to the support arm and removing the cam 44 from the detent 46 and into the detent 48.

  In the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, one detent and one cam are illustrated at each position, but multiple detents and cams (teeth) are used at each position to lock and Reliability can be increased and, of course, more than one location may be used in accordance with the present invention.

  Thus, it will be appreciated that the present invention provides a simple and improved advantageous configuration for a rotating connector joint for a vehicle mirror assembly arm. A simple leaf spring configuration can provide movement between the use position and / or multiple positions, while a simple conical plug and conical receptacle configuration is a joint that maintains close contact despite surface wear. The distribution of force at the conical surface can provide a reduction in overall wear at the joint. Play, which often occurs in spherical couplings, is prevented or reduced in conjunction with mirror sway by maintaining tight contact of the conical bearing surfaces.

  Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described using specific terms, the description is for illustrative purposes only and may be modified without departing from the spirit or scope of the appended claims. It will be understood that variations may be made.

1 is a perspective view illustrating a conical joint for a mirror support arm constructed in accordance with the present invention. The perspective view of FIG. 1 which cut off some conical joint housings. FIG. 3 is a top view taken out along line 3-3 in FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 4-4 in FIG. The perspective view which isolate | separated the part of the conical joint for vehicle mirror support arm assemblies by this invention.

Claims (22)

A vehicle mirror assembly having at least one mirror head positioned at a distance from the vehicle during normal operation,
A vehicle mount for attachment to the vehicle;
A support arm pivotably attached to the vehicle mount and capable of moving to a use position;
A rotary joint connected between the vehicle mount and the support arm, the rotation joint being the center when the support arm turns to the use position;
A releasable operating mechanism that is operably associated with the rotary joint to maintain the support arm in the use position;
A base having a conical housing with a conical bearing surface held by the vehicle mount;
A conical plug held by the support arm and having a conical bearing surface that fits within the conical housing;
A connector interconnected to join the conical plug and conical housing;
A biasing element that biases the conical bearing surface of the conical housing portion and the conical bearing surface of the conical plug to come into close contact with each other;
Thus, a vehicle mirror assembly that provides a more reliable rotary joint by minimizing wear and subsequent play between the cone receptacle and the cone plug.   The base includes a first detent and a second detent, and the operating mechanism engages with the first detent when the support arm is in the use position, and the support arm is in the folded position. The assembly of claim 1 including a biasing mechanism that meshes with the second detent at a time.   The assembly of claim 2, wherein the biasing mechanism has a neutral position, a first curved position, and a second curved position.   The assembly according to claim 3, wherein the biasing mechanism is deformed to the first curved position when meshing with the first detent or the second detent.   The assembly of claim 4, wherein the biasing mechanism is deformed to the second curved position when the support arm is moved between the first detent and the second detent of the base body. .   The set of claim 1, wherein the connector includes a fastener extending through the plug and conical receiving portion, one end attached to the support arm and a second end attached to the vehicle mount. Solid.   The biasing element is held around the fastener near one of the first and second ends of the fastener and urges the cone body and the cone receiving portion to closely contact each other. The assembly of claim 6, comprising a spring element.   The assembly of claim 7, wherein the spring element comprises a spring washer held around the fastener. The operating mechanism is:
An elongated leaf spring having a first end and a second end, and a cam formed intermediate the first end and the second end;
And at least one detent held by the base of the vehicle mount;
The assembly of claim 1, wherein the cam engages the detent to maintain the support arm in the use position.   A mounting element held by the support arm to secure the first end and the second end of the elongated leaf spring with the cam directed toward the base. The assembly according to claim 9. A conical rotary joint for a vehicle mirror assembly or the like having a fixed mount and a movable support arm,
A base held by one of the fixed mount and the movable support arm;
A conical plug held by the other of the fixed mount and the movable support arm;
A conical housing portion having a conical bearing surface that is held by the base and houses the conical plug and that joins with the conical bearing surface of the conical plug to provide a rotary joint with multiple rotational positions;
A biasing element for biasing the conical plug and the conical housing portion in close contact with each other to minimize play and wear between the bearing surface of the conical plug and the bearing surface of the conical housing portion;
At least one detent corresponding to the rotational position of the movable support arm;
A neutral position; a first bending position where the biasing mechanism is deformed away from the neutral position; and a second bending position where the biasing mechanism is deformed away from the first bending position. An urging mechanism,
The biasing mechanism is a conical rotary joint including a cam that meshes with the one detent in the first curved position and holds the movable support arm in the one rotational position.   The biasing element includes a fastener extending through the conical plug and conical receiving portion, one end attached to the movable support arm and a second end attached to the vehicle mount. 11. A conical rotary joint according to 11.   The biasing element is held around the fastener near one of the first end and the second end of the fastener to closely contact the conical plug and the conical receiving portion. The conical rotation joint according to claim 12, comprising a spring element biasing in such a manner.   The biasing mechanism has a first end portion and a second end portion, and an elongated shape formed between the first end portion and the second end portion, and a cam that meshes with the one detent. The conical rotation joint according to claim 11, comprising a leaf spring.   In the movable support arm, a mounting element held by the movable support arm to fix the first end and the second end of the elongated leaf spring with the cam facing the base. The conical rotation joint of claim 14, comprising: The conical rotation joint includes a first detent corresponding to a use position of the mirror and a second detent corresponding to a non-use position of the mirror;
The conical rotation joint according to claim 14, wherein the cam meshes with the first detent and the second detent to hold the mirror in the use position and the non-use position, respectively. A vehicle mirror assembly comprising:
At least one mirror head held by a support arm positioned at a distance from the vehicle during normal operation;
A vehicle mount for attachment to the vehicle;
The support arm pivotably attached to the vehicle mount and capable of moving between a use position and a folding position;
A rotation joint that is connected between the vehicle mount and the support arm, and that serves as a center when the support arm pivots to one or more rotational positions;
The rotary joint is
A first rotating part held by the vehicle mount;
The first rotating part and the second rotating part are interconnected so that the second rotating part held by the support arm and the support arm pivot with respect to each other between the use position and the folding position. With fasteners to
A detent held by one of the vehicle mount and the support arm and corresponding to the one use position;
An elongated spring element disposed between the vehicle mount and the biasing mechanism of the support arm and having a neutral position, a first curved position, and a second curved position;
The spring element has a cam formed near the middle of the spring element and meshing with the one detent;
The spring element is deformed to the first curved position when the cam is engaged with the one detent, and the spring element is moved when the support arm is moved from the first detent. A vehicle mirror assembly that deforms to a second curved position.   18. The assembly of claim 17, wherein the elongate spring element deforms away from the neutral position to the first curved position and away from the first curved position to the second curved position.   The elongate spring element has a first end and a second end held by the one of the vehicle mount and support arm to secure the elongate spring in a use position toward a detent. 18. An assembly according to claim 17, comprising:   The connector includes a fastener that extends through the first and second rotating portions, one end attached to the support arm, and a second end attached to the vehicle mount. The assembly described.   The assembly is held around the fastener near one of the first and second ends and biases the first rotating part and the second rotating part into close contact with each other. 21. The assembly of claim 20, comprising a biasing element.   The assembly of claim 21, wherein the biasing element comprises a Belleville washer held around the fastener.

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